Ino's Birthday Present
by KageNoKatana
Summary: Shikamaru is in a bind. Ino's birthday is tomorrow and he wants to get her a present that will get him noticed. Maybe even get Ino away from Sasuke for a bit. ShikaIno COMPLETE
1. The beginning

Hey there. This is my first Naruto fanfic, so be nice! I usually don't post any fics on here, but I'm bored. Yes, this will be a Shikamaru/Ino pairing.  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own anything.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Shikamaru sighed as he looked up at the clouds. It was September 22nd. Ino's birthday party was tomorrow and he wanted to do something nice for her. Should he bring her flowers? No, her parents owned a flower shop, he would probably wind up seeing her as he went to buy them.....  
  
What did it matter, anyways? Ino never would like him. She barely paid attention to him; she was always drooling over Sasuke. Damn that Sasuke. He had so many fan girls clinging to him at all times.  
  
"What does he have that I don't?! Why do the girls like him so much?!" Shikamaru demanded of himself. Silence followed as he realized the stupidity of what he just said. Sasuke had it all; he was a great ninja, had great looks, and the cold mysterious attitude that girls swooned over.  
  
Shika sighed again and looked down at himself. He knew what he looked like. Small eyes, a slightly down turned mouth, and stiff brown hair that he pulled into a ponytail every morning. He was the first to admit that he wasn't the most attractive guy in the village, but he wasn't ugly either. Chouji had once said that with his spiky hair, Shikamaru's head looked much like a pineapple. That did NOT help his self-esteem.  
  
The only thing he had over Sasuke was is incredibly high IQ. He was a brilliant strategist; one thing Ino liked about him. There was not a problem he couldn't solve.  
  
Except this one... . .  
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Ino smiled to herself as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail. It finally was starting to grow back. Things were going her way, her hair looked great again (not that it didn't before), her birthday was tomorrow, and... dun dun DUN... Sasuke would be there!  
  
Ah yes, Sasuke. Her heart fluttered at the thought of her love. So cool, so perfect, so HOT! She giggled as she fantasized. . . .  
  
Sasuke stood before her, love in his eyes. The crowd at her party watched them in awe. Sakura was glaring in pure envy. Ino smirked back at her. Everything was perfect; Sasuke had just admitted his undying love to her and they were now so close. Sasuke's strong arms encircling her waist as she gazed up into those obsidian eyes so filled with love . . .  
  
She snapped out of her daydream as her mother knocked on her door. "Ino, honey, can you go to the market for me? We need to go shopping and I'm busy right now"  
  
"Yes, kasaan." Ino replied, slightly irked about her fantasy being interrupted.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
'Hmmm... what should I get Ino for her birthday..?' Shikamaru wondered to himself as he strolled along through the market. He passed various stalls selling trinkets, but nothing caught his attention. He wanted the perfect gift. A gift so great that Ino would forget about Sasuke for a while and pay attention to him.  
  
Feh. Like that would ever happen.  
  
"Hey, Shikamaru!"  
  
Shika froze in his tracks. He knew that voice. It was the same voice that bossed him around on missions, the same voice that would praise him for his battle plans, the same voice that told him all its problems. . . .  
  
Ino.  
  
~End Chapter one!~  
  
So, what do you think? Please don't flame, I hate beginnings. It will probably get a lot funnier as time goes on. R&R! 


	2. Sasuke, the mirror, and 'I love Lee' TSh...

Oh my god! I got good reviews! Woo! Second chappie now!  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Blinking a few times, Shikamaru just stood there. For once not knowing what to do.  
  
"Hey, Shika-kun" Ino grinned as she jogged up to him. "What are you doing here? I thought you would be somewhere else, staring at the clouds. Who forced you to go shopping?" She teased.  
  
Shikamaru crossed his arms. "No one forced me. I'm just taking a walk." He said defiantly. Ino raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Well, since you're not doing anything. . . . Care to help with my shopping?" She asked, trying to get him to give in by pouting a little.  
  
'Oh great, if I don't, she'll be mad. If I do, I'm wasting valuable time.' Shika cautiously weighed the pros and cons before deciding that if he went with Ino, she might say what she wanted for her birthday. "Okay."  
  
"Great!" Ino smiled. "First, we have to get groceries..."  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Half an hour later, Ino was finished shopping. She carried a small handbag while Shikamaru was trapped under a mountain of groceries.  
  
'How troublesome, why did I do this again. . . ? Ah yes, the plan.' "Hey Ino?" Shika spoke up from behind the groceries.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Your birthday's tomorrow, right?" Shikamaru said, trying to be casual. Ino turned around to face him and smiled sweetly. Shikamaru felt his face getting hot.  
  
"You remembered! Are you coming to the party?"  
  
'Did she just look hopeful? Nah, must be my imagination.' "Of course. Ummmm.... What do you want for a present?"  
  
"Just get me whatever you want" Ino shrugged. Shikamaru internally made a face. So much for finding out information. . . . .  
  
"-Are you sure you don't want anything specific?" He tried again.  
  
"I'm sure"  
  
Crap.  
  
He walked Ino to her house before muttering a hurried goodbye that sounded like a combination of 'see ya' and 'bye' and running off into the distance. He then decided to walk back to the market to go back to looking for her present.  
  
'Walking to the market, then away from it, then back again. How troublesome.'  
  
On the way to the market he saw his rival-in-love . . . . .Dun dun DUN! (A/N: sorry couldn't resist ^_^'')–Sasuke! Shikamaru decided it best to avoid this 'evil' bishonen. Moving toward the woods Sasuke's voice stopped him.  
  
Shika stared stupidly at the bishie who was now looking in a shop mirror and talking to himself. "I'm pretty and I know it. Yup, I sure am. All the girls love me. I am IRRESISTABLE!"  
  
Shikamaru sweatdropped. Who knew that Sasuke was so full of himself?  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Entering the woods Shikamaru soon heard another familiar voice.  
  
"-If I cant do it then, I'll do 1000 jump rope jumps. If I still can't do it, I'll do 1500 pushups. –And if I still can't do it I'll kick the log 2000 times!!"  
  
Oh great. Lee.  
  
"Good job Lee! Keep at it and you'll be the best ninja ever!"  
  
-And Gai.  
  
Shikamaru peered out from behind a tree at the strange sensei and his student.  
  
"You really think I'll be a great ninja, sensei?" Lee asked, tears of joy springing to his eyes.  
  
Gai grinned and his teeth let off a sparkle with a little 'ching!' sound. "Of course Lee! You even have fans now!"  
  
Lee sniffed happily. "I do?"  
  
"Yup" Gai's teeth sparkled again. "One's here right now. . . . . You can come out now, Shikamaru"  
  
Shikamaru sighed and came out from his hiding place. "-You're mistaken. I was just passing through and I heard you and-"  
  
"-No need to be shy, Shikamaru" Gai cut him off. "I understand how you long to be more like Lee but just can do it, no matter how hard you try."  
  
"Uh, yeah . . okay . . . Well, I've got to go now, I still have to get Ino her birthday present." Shikamaru said hastily, trying to get away as fast as possible.  
  
Like THAT was gonna happen. . . . .  
  
"Aha! A present for the lovely lady Ino? I know just the thing!" Gai sparkled. "-When I was young, the girls fought over me like crazy. I had many girlfriends! Much more than that . . . Kakashi" He spat the last word like it was poison.  
  
"O-kay. . . "A pause. "Well, then. What do you recommend I get her?" Gai struck a pose before turning around. He spun back to face Shika, holding . . . "-An 'I love Rock Lee!' T-shirt?" Shikamaru said in disbelief.  
  
"-All the ladies will want one!" Gai pressed. "They all want to express their love for Lee, but just don't know how! This T-Shirt will give them that ability! Only $11.95!"  
  
At this point. Shikamaru ran for it.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Woot! Second chapter done! I'm so happy! I have fans! YAY! I'll update as much as possible. My goal is to finish at least a chapter a day. R&R!  
  
See this button here?  
  
You're getting closer  
  
Closer  
  
Now click it and review!!  
  
I win. 


	3. The perfect gift?

Wow! I'm getting really good reviews. Guess I can't forget about this fic. I'm glad you all liked my 'I love Rock Lee' T-shirt thing. That was fun to write. I love all the characters and Gai and Lee are so great. I like Sasuke too, all you Sasuke rabid fangirls. It was just fun to make him act like that. My favorite characters are actually Shikamaru, Kiba and Gaara.  
  
NOTE!!!: I made a mistake in the beginning of the first chapter. Review to tell me what it is. (Hint: Shikamaru fans will find this easy)  
  
Disclaimer: If I OWNED Naruto, there would be more Gaara, Shikamaru, and Kiba in it!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
After he decided he was far away enough from Gai to escape from his evil sales ploy, Shikamaru stopped. He really didn't want to run anymore, it was FAR too troublesome. He quickly judged his surroundings and guessed that he wasn't too far from the market and it was safe to leave the woods.  
  
Oh, how wrong he was.  
  
"Hey, Shikamaru! Wanna come train with me?!" Came the voice of everyone's favorite yellow-haired genin.  
  
"Uh, hey Naruto. No, I don't want to train with you today, it's far too troublesome. "Shikamaru stated as if it was obvious. To him, training wasn't something to do when you didn't have to. "Why don't you . . . Go get Ramen?"  
  
"Great idea!!" Naruto exclaimed. Shikamaru let out a sigh of relief. "Let's go!"  
  
"Huh?! WHAT?! What do you mean 'let's'?" Shikamaru shouted as he was dragged down the street by Naruto.  
  
Five bowls of Ramen later. . . . .  
  
"Ahhh . . . Man that was good!" Naruto sighed contentedly, patting his stomach. "So, Shikamaru, you going to Ino's party tomorrow?"  
  
"Yeah. . . . She's invited just about everyone." Shikamaru pointed out.  
  
"-Did you get her present yet?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"-Wanna know what I got her?"  
  
Shika was intrigued. "Sure"  
  
"A discount card at the Ichiraku noodle bar." Naruto said proudly. "It's a really great present, I should get one for myself. . . . "As Naruto thought about ramen discounts, Shika paid for his meal and silently left.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Entering the market once again, Shikamaru sighed. So many people, so many things to look at. How troublesome.  
  
Coming across a jewelry and trinket stall, he saw it. The perfect gift.  
  
It was a emerald necklace on a silver chain. The gem was in the shape of the leaf symbol. It also came with matching earrings. It was perfect.  
  
Just as he was about to buy it a strange sound reached his ears. It sounded like a galloping horse. How odd.  
  
"Shikamaru! I have the perfect gift for Ino!!" An all-too-familiar voice shouted. Shikamaru turned to see Gai, on a white horse, heading straight for him. "Come with me!"  
  
"NOOOOO!" Was all poor Shika could scream before he was picked up, thrown over Gai's shoulder, and carried off into the 3-O-Clock sunset.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
WOOO! I finished that chap. Sorry it took a bit. I was busy and had major writers block R&R please!! Reviews are what keep me going! No reviews, no story. 


	4. Enterprising and Tsunade's question

Hi! I'm back! Sorry I haven't updated in awhile. I had A LOT of stuff to do for school! Okay, the winner of my question was Kalira of the Flames! You Rock! The flaw was that Shikamaru's B-Day is the day before Ino's. So, I started it on his B-Day. Just ignore that fact, kay?  
  
I love my reviewers! Here are some of my fave reviewers!  
  
Genin: I loved reading your review! I used to write my reviews like that. Thanks!  
  
Duochang97: Thank you!  
  
SpiritGoddess: Thank you too!  
  
Okay, I'm sad and need to rant right here. Archeeka, to put it simply, I don't like you. You're mean. I know shika means deer and I just call him that sometimes because it's too troublesome to write 'Shikamaru' all the time. Next, I know how to spell Kaasan. Ever heard of a typo?!?! Jeez, I don't have a beta reader to pick out my flaws. And last, I know Shikamaru's eyes are sharp and slanted, but they are smaller than most of the characters. So, leave me alone about it!!  
  
Okay, now I'm good.  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned the Characters I would force Gaara to go out with me.  
  
On with the fic!!!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Let me go!" Shikamaru cried, struggling to break free of the 'crazy' teacher's grasp. "I already FOUND the perfect gift!!"  
  
Gai was oblivious to poor Shikamaru's pleas for freedom as he leapt from the horse and burst into the clearing they had met in earlier.  
  
Finally setting Shikamaru down, Gai jumped in front of a curtain that hung between two trees. "This is the moment you've been waiting for!" Gai grinned as he struck the 'nice-guy-pose' and his teeth went 'PING!'. He pulled a cord and the curtain dropped to reveal. . . .  
  
-Rock Lee T-Shirts, mugs, keychains, plushies, posters, and action figures!  
  
"You just don't give up, do you . . . ?" Groaned Shikamaru.  
  
"I thank YOU, my dear boy! You showed me that T-Shirts alone just wasn't enough! What if the girl didn't want to invoke envy amongst her friends? She couldn't go around wearing one of there lovely T-Shirts! So, she could keep one of these cute little plushies in her room instead!" He waved the plushie about in the air to accentuate his point. "-It's a brilliant idea!"  
  
"Uh. . . Yeah, okay." Shikamaru vaguely wondered how Gai had managed to create all this in such a short span of time. . . . Such thoughts are best left alone.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Two hours later Shikamaru escaped from Gai's enterprising speech, his arms laden with Rock Lee merchandise. (-which he threw in the nearest trashcan) What a waste of time THAT was. He silently hoped the shop hadn't closed yet.  
  
Breathing a sigh of relief, he saw that it hadn't.  
  
"Um. . . Where is the necklace that was here before?" Shikamaru asked uneasily. This REALLY wasn't his day.  
  
"If it's not there, then it's been sold."  
  
Shikamaru looked up in surprise. "TSUNADE-SAMA?!"  
  
The fifth Hokage smiled. "surprised, Shikamaru-kun?" she asked.  
  
"Well, yeah, you're the Hokage! What are you doing here?!"  
  
"Helping a sick friend manage their shop." Tsunade explained.  
  
"mmm-hmm . . Shikamaru nodded. "-Do you know who bought it?"  
  
Tsunade smirked. "Maybe..."  
  
"What do you want me to do?" Shikamaru huffed.  
  
"You're actually willing to WORK for this thing?!" Tsunade asked incredulously.  
  
Shikamaru crossed his arms "Don't push it."  
  
"I wont" Tsunade assured. "-How about we make a bet, Shikamaru-kin?" she suggested. "-If you can answer my question, I'll tell you who bought it.  
  
"-And if I can't?" he raised an eyebrow.  
  
"-If you can't. . . . You have to give me all your spending money for a month."  
  
"Tsunade-sama. . . You know you're a horrible gambler"  
  
"I can't help it, it's in my blood." Shrugged Tsunade "-So, are you game?"  
  
"Sure"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Woo! Chapter complete!  
  
REVIEWER ALERT! I want you guys to send me in ideas for what you want the question to be. Also, you can also request characters you want to see in later chapters. You can just request a character, or a character and what they should be doing!  
  
REVIEWS KEEP ME ALIVE! 


	5. The one necklace, TO RULE THEM ALL!

Hiya! Sorry I'm not updating much. I have finals coming up. Eep.... OO I love the reviews! I've decided.... I'm going to keep this fic going as long as you guys keep requesting stuff! I love getting your feedback! Yay!  
  
DarkDemonMaster: Okay, I'm putting Kiba in here for you! (And me... nihihihihihihi)  
  
Blue Savage: Sorry, no OCs. If I did that, I would have to let other ppl do it too. If I do another fic, maybe I'll use your OC. You can tell me more then. I'm putting Itachi in here for you.  
  
Rurouni Gochan: I was going to use Riddle of the sphinx for my backup question. It's my favorite riddle. Thanks for the ideas!   
  
Duochang97: You're so cool! (Gives you Rock Lee T-shirt!) Lee is actually another favorite character of mine... He and Gai probably will make a return to this story...  
  
ROCK LEE MERCHENDISE TO ALL WHO REVIEWED!!  
  
Disclaimer: (shifty eyes) Do I have to say it..? . . . . Fine. . . I-I don't own Naruto.... (cries) Kishimoto-sama does!! I love you Kishimoto- sama!!  
  
When we last left off, our poor little Shikamaru-kun was having a rather odd day. Ino's birthday was tomorrow and he had yet to get her the perfect gift. During his quest he had been taken shopping for no apparent reason, seen Sasuke talking to himself about his 'prettyness', run in upon a training Lee, had an 'I love Rock lee' T-shirt offered to him by Gai, and has lunch at Ichiraku with Naruto. Afterwards, he found the perfect gift, only to be kidnapped by Gai and given lots of Rock Lee merchandise (against his will, I tell you.) He now was standing in front of the Hokage who would ask him a question that he was betting his savings on. If he got it right he would get the name of the person who bought the necklace.  
  
"Okay, Tsunade-sama, what's the question?" Asked Shikamaru.  
  
"It's a riddle." Tsunade corrected. Shikamaru sighed.  
  
"Okay then, what's the riddle?"  
  
"What has four legs in the evening, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs in the evening?" Tsunade sat back in her chair and crossed her arms, proud of her difficult question. (riddle)  
  
Now, this question may be difficult to those who don't know their Egyptian history. Or to those who just aren't very smart. But were talking about SHIKAMARU here! Uber-intelligent ninja! The dude with an IQ of over 200! So this wasn't very hard. It took only about fifteen seconds for him to answer.  
  
"Man"  
  
Tsunade blinked in astonishment. "How did you figure it out?! –And so fast!!"  
  
"It's simple." Said Shikamaru "The different times of day refer to different stages in life. Morning is when man is a baby and crawls on all fours, afternoon is when man is an adult and walks on two legs. Lastly, evening is when man is old and uses a cane as a sort of 'third leg'"  
  
Tsunade sighed. "Okay you win, I'll tell you who bought the necklace. –But I must warn you, you may not want to go after it."  
  
"-And why is that?" asked Shikamaru, slightly curious.  
  
A long pause fell between the two before, at last, Tsunade spoke. "Uchiha Itachi"  
  
Dun Dun DUN!!!  
  
Shikamaru's eyes were wide. "Uchiha ITACHI!?!!"  
  
"Yes. Dreadful, isn't it?"  
  
"More like weird." Shikamaru blinked. "-Why would Itachi just stroll in here, buy a necklace, and leave? Without being. . . I don't know. . . CAPTURED OR SOMETHING?!?!"  
  
"Calm down, Shikamaru-kun" Soothed the Fifth. "Itachi didn't do anything. Yes I suppose I could have had him arrested, but it's such a nice day... I don't want to ruin it."  
  
Shikamaru's eye twitched. "Okay. . ." He took a deep breath to calm himself. "-Thank you, Tsunade-sama."  
  
Tsunade put on a 'perky' face "No problem Shikamaru-kun" she smiled.  
  
Shikamaru sighed and walked away. Today is such a troublesome day.  
  
As Shikamaru walked along he thought of many things. He thought of where to find Itachi, he thought of how he could get the necklace back, and he thought that he was going to need help. He passed a random doughnut shop and looked in the window only to see. . . . You guessed it, Itachi. He was ordering a dozen doughnuts for the trip home. Why? Because doughnuts are yummy, baka.  
  
'Oh crap' Thought Shikamaru. 'I found him, but I don't have anyone to help me' He frantically looked around and spotted Kiba nearby, kicking a soda machine. "Hey, Kiba!" He ran over to him.  
  
"Oh, hey Shikamaru" Kiba said absent-mindedly. He kicked the soda machine and Akamaru barked from atop his head. "This stupid machine ate my money."  
  
"Ah, well that sucks." Said Shikamaru. "Hey, Kiba-"  
  
"-Dude, you ever seen Lord of the Rings?" Kiba interrupted. Shikamaru blinked.  
  
"Yeah. . . "  
  
"Isn't it great? I love it."  
  
"I guess. . . . Look, Kiba, I really need your help with something" Shikamaru was slightly annoyed now. He looked back to see Itachi leaving the store, a doughnut in his mouth. "Look, it's Itachi. You know Sasuke's evil (AN: -but amazingly hot) older brother?"  
  
Kiba nodded. "Yeah, so?"  
  
"He has something that I need to get."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"BECAUSE!!" Shikamaru shouted so loud that Kiba's hood fell off, Akamaru and all. He composed himself before the slightly scared looking Kiba. "Will you help me get it"  
  
"What is it?" Kiba asked  
  
"A necklace" Shikamaru stated. "You probably are wondering why I need this so badly. The truth is it's-"  
  
"THE ONE NECKLACE TO RULE THEM ALL!!!" Kiba shouted gleefully.  
  
Shikamaru sweatdropped. "yeah, sure."  
  
"Let's go, then!" Kiba grabbed him by the arm and took of in Itachi's general direction. The Park.  
  
"There he is." Kiba hissed. Itachi was sitting happily on a bench in the park, eating his doughnuts. "He looks so, so, so-"  
  
"-Innocent?" Shikamaru offered.  
  
"-Actually I was going for evil. But innocent works too." Akamaru barked. "Shhhh! He'll hear us!"  
  
"Okay, Kiba. I'll stop him with my Kagemane no jutsu. You get the necklace and we'll get out of here." Said Shikamaru, looking at Kiba. Or, more appropriately, where Kiba had been.  
  
"CHAAAARRRGE!"  
  
Oh, Kami.  
  
So, like it? I've got major writer's block.  
  
KEEP SENDING REVIEWS WITH NARUTO CHARACTERS YOU WANT TO SEE AND/OR THINGS THAT SHOULD HAPPEN TO SHIKAMARU!  
  
Reviews keep me going! 


	6. Hobo Kiba and 'Oh no! Wind country!

THANKS FOR ALL THE REVIEWS!! I LOVE YOU GUYS!!  
  
"CHAAARGE!!"  
  
Itachi barely had time to register the fact that he was being 'attacked' before he was plowed down by Kiba. Shikamaru took this brief moment of confusion to attempt to use kagemane no justu on Itachi.  
  
Unfortunately Itachi recovered quickly and narrowly dodged Shikamaru's shadow. "What the hell do you guys want?!" He shouted. His eyes widened. "You're after my doughnuts, aren't you?! AREN'T YOU?!!?" He grabbed the box of doughnuts with a frenzied look. "You'll never get them!! NEVER!!" He ran off, Kiba barreling along after him.  
  
"GIVE IT BACK!!" Kiba roared.  
  
"What back?!" Itachi asked, still running.  
  
"The one nec-"Kiba was cut off when a doughnut hit him in the head, rendering him unconscious.  
  
"You'll never get them!" Itachi shouted over his shoulder as he disappeared into the forest. Shikamaru sighed and watched him go.  
  
"I think we're gonna need backup."  
  
"-And that's why we need your help." Shikamaru had just finished explaining his current situation to his best friend, Chouji.  
  
Stuffing a few more chips into his mouth, Chouji thought. "I think that that's sweet, Shikamaru" He grinned. "I mean, going through all that just for In-mmph!"  
  
"Shhh!" Shikamaru hissed, covering Chouji's mouth and looking around nervously. "People will hear you!"  
  
"Sorry" Chouji apologized, removing Shikamaru's hand. "So it's a secret, eh?" Shikamaru nodded. "-And Itachi ran off with her present?" He nodded again. "That sucks"  
  
"We need to get it back before the party tomorrow night!" Shikamaru explained. "-No matter what!"  
  
"Right!" Chouji shouted enthusiastically. People shopping turned to look at them. Shikamaru looked embarrassed. "How are we going to find him, though?" Chouji asked thoughtfully and thankfully, quietly.  
  
"We'll need someone who is a good tracker. . . "Shikamaru said as he scratched his head.  
  
"How about Kiba?" Chouji offered. Shikamaru looked at him strangely.  
  
"His consciousness met an unfortunate end," He said. Chouji blinked. "-I left him in the park."  
  
(Flashback)  
  
Shikamaru dragged an unconscious, and heavy, Kiba towards one of the benches in the park. It was to troublesome and time consuming to take him to the hospital so he decided to leave him on a bench. People wouldn't bother him unless they thought he was a hobo and then they would just leave money. Kiba wouldn't mind that.  
  
(5 minutes later)  
  
"Look mommy, a homeless man!" A cute five-year-old boy exclaimed, pointing to the figure on the bench. Shikamaru had covered Kiba's head with a newspaper so he wouldn't get sunburned. This only made him look more like a hobo. "-Can we take him home?!"  
  
"No, Nao, homeless people usually have problems. We can't just take one home" Nao's mother said. Nao pouted.  
  
At this moment Kiba woke up yelling about the one necklace to rule them all, sending Nao and his mother away screaming.  
  
(End Flashback)  
  
"He'll be okay" Shikamaru assured. Chouji nodded.  
  
"If you think so, Shikamaru" He agreed wholeheartedly. "Hey! Can't Shino use his bugs to help us?"  
  
"That's a great idea, Chouji! Let's go!" Shikamaru grinned. Chouji beamed at the fact that Shikamaru had praised him.  
  
They found Shino sitting in his garden, apparently doing nothing at all. Upon further inspection one would find that he was staring intently at a small ladybug.  
  
"Hey! Shino!" Shikamaru called.  
  
Shino didn't look up. Shikamaru stopped walking and blinked. "Um, Shino?" He stepped forwards only to be stopped by a suddenly responsive Shino.  
  
"Don't step on them," He muttered, looking at the ground.  
  
Shikamaru glanced down to see a line of ants marching across the walkway. He stepped carefully over them. "Shino, we need your help." He began.  
  
"You need to find Itachi so you can get the necklace for Ino" Shino finished. Shikamaru stared at him in shock.  
  
How did you KNOW!?!"  
  
"My bugs told me" Said Shino calmly.  
  
"So you know everything that's happened so to me so far?"  
  
"Just about everything"  
  
During this conversation Chouji had been observing the marching ants, wondering if they would taste good when dunked in chocolate. He decided not to eat them for two reasons.  
  
One – Shino would be angry  
  
Two – He didn't have any chocolate.  
  
Poor, hungry Chouji.  
  
"Will you help me?" Asked Shikamaru.  
  
Shino thought for a moment as he looked down at the small ants on his walkway. "Okay"  
  
"Thank you!!"  
  
"He's in Wind Country"  
  
Shikamaru's face fell. "Dost mine ears deceive me? Wind Country?" He cupped his hand to his ear.  
  
Chouji looked slightly disturbed by Shikamaru's sudden adoption of a Roman accent.  
  
"Yes. Wind Country" Shino affirmed.  
  
"Damn," Shikamaru hissed, his voice back to normal. "Just what I needed. A road trip to a different country to find a criminal. Let's just hope he don't run into the resident psychopath."  
  
"Who?" Chouji asked.  
  
"Gaara, of course! You remember that freaky sand-nin from the chuunin exams? That's him"  
  
Chouji paled. "Well, good luck Shikamaru!" He waved and jogged off, leaving Shikamaru standing there in Shino's garden.  
  
"Shino, will you come with me?" Shikamaru asked, turning to the other ninja.  
  
"I suppose" Shino shrugged. "-But we should get more assistance before we leave"  
  
"Alright"  
  
Woot! Another chapter done! I have major writer's block so send in suggestions of what you want to see!  
  
Next chapter: The 'fellowship' sets off to wind country!  
  
Reviews keep me going! 


	7. The fellowship of the necklace

Hi all! Sorry for the big delay. You see, I was on vacation and I was also very depressed because some jerk whom I wont mention (cough) CELLCLONEBOT (cough) decided to go and FLAME EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER! Jeez, man, get a freakin' life! If you hated it so much why did you read it?!  
  
I didn't like the last chapter so much either so I'm not going to take suggestions for this fic anymore. Besides, this is probably the second-to- last chapter. If you want to make suggestions for a new story you want to see, review and tell me.  
  
All you others.. REVIEW ANYWAYS! (Evil laughter)  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and I hate flamers! All flamers will be given to Shuukaku as toys! (Evil laugh)  
  
Shikamaru sighed in annoyance as he looked at the motley crew he had assembled. Shino stood silently beside him, Naruto was jumping around like an idiot, Kiba was ranting happily to Akamaru about Lord of the Rings, Gai and Lee were... being Gai and Lee-ish, Jiraiya was writing madly with a sick grin plastered on his face and Neiji sat quietly under a tree.  
  
Shikamaru still couldn't understand why Neiji had decided to help them. It was probably best not to ask, as Neiji was easily offended and may revoke his much needed assistance.  
  
Deciding to hurry, as it was nearly dark already and they had to be at the party tomorrow, Shikamaru addressed the group. "Okay, everyone. Thanks for helping me out on this mission. We should get going now that everybody's here" he said, taking authority. Sometimes it was good to be a chuunin.  
  
"We're going to wind country, right?" Naruto piped up. Shikamaru stared at him.  
  
"You didn't know and yet you still agreed to the mission?" he asked incredulously. Naruto nodded.  
  
"It's good training!" He grinned "-I need lots of training to become a great Hokage!" Naruto grinned even wider and flexed his muscles in a show of strength. Everyone stared at him and he stopped. "What?!"  
  
"Moving along, does anyone have an idea how to get the necklace from Itachi once we find him?" Shikamaru questioned the small crowd.  
  
"We could . . . Lure him into a pit and. . . "Naruto broke off. "- okay, that's all I have"  
  
Shikamaru sighed. "Any more suggestions?"  
  
"We should wait to see where he is and in what condition he's in before we make a decision on how to take the necklace from him" Neiji offered wisely. Shikamaru nodded in agreement.  
  
"Alright then. Shino and Kiba, have you been able to locate his general direction?"  
  
Shino nodded. "I was supposed to?" Kiba asked.  
  
"Yes, you were." Shikamaru's eye twitched slightly.  
  
"Oh." Said Kiba. "Well then, I guess I should get to work." He turned to walk into the woods but stopped. "Hey, Shikamaru? I think we should have a name for this group. You know, we're like the fellowship or something."  
  
"Call it whatever you like, Kiba" Shikamaru sighed. "It really doesn't matter to me anyways. Let's go."  
  
And so the fellowship of the necklace set off towards Wind country.  
  
"Are we there yet?" Naruto asked for the 50th time.  
  
"NO!" The rest of the group shouted. "SHUT UP!"  
  
"But I don't wanna." Naruto pouted.  
  
Naruto was then bound and gagged and tied to Jiraiya's back, just in case. Unfortunately for Naruto, he is a flunky ninja and hadn't listened when Iruka-sensei had taught them to escape from being tied up and strapped to the nearest Ero-sennin. Poor Naruto.  
  
Shikamaru sighed and surveyed the desert surrounding him. It seemed to go on forever. Rocky cliffs protruded from the sand, looming over them. How were they going to find Itachi in time?  
  
"We're being followed." Shino stated blandly. The rest of the fellowship moved into a defensive formation. (Except Naruto, who is tied to Jiraiya. Once again, Poor Naruto)  
  
"It's about time you noticed." A voice came from above them. Shikamaru looked up, squinting at the figure who stood calmly at the top of the cliff.  
  
"Oh no." He whispered to himself. "This is NOT good. . ."  
  
"What are you doing here, Gaara?!" Gai shouted, pointing dramatically at the sand nin. Gaara would of sweat dropped but he doesn't show much emotion, so he didn't.  
  
"I live here." Said Gaara. "What about you? Hidden sand wasn't informed of leaf nins entering wind country. Are you on a mission?"  
  
Gai was speechless for a moment. He hadn't expected such a reply. It was so cool, almost like something Kakashi would say. Mentally he cursed Kakashi because Gaara's collected reply had to be his fault. "Yes!" He finally spoke. "We are on a great and AMAZING mission!"  
  
"Oh really?"  
  
Gai nodded enthusiastically, his hair flopping around in a manner that greatly annoyed everyone. "Of course! We are after the deadly criminal, Uchiha Itachi." He struck a pose.  
  
"Why?" Asked Gaara.  
  
"Because he has something we so desperately need!" Gai shouted back. "-And I, Maito Gai, shall retrieve it! Even if it costs me my life!" Gai put a fist to his green-spandex-clad chest and flung his hair back like an uninspired shampoo commercial.  
  
This time Gaara DID sweatdrop.  
  
–As did everyone else.  
  
In a small whirlwind of sand, Gaara disappeared from the cliff top and reappeared next to Shikamaru. "What are you even after?" he asked.  
  
"THE ONE NECKLACE TO RULE THEM ALL!" Kiba shouted enthusiastically.  
  
"YEAH!" Lee added, throwing his fist into the air. Naruto just struggled more and let out a muffled noise that could have been 'alright!' or it also could have meant 'ramen!'. But we all know he meant 'alright'.  
  
"You're after a necklace?" Gaara blinked. Everyone else nodded. "Why?"  
  
Gai opened his mouth to reply dramatically only to realize he did not know the answer. "Why are we after this necklace again?"  
  
"Because it is the necklace to rule them all!" Kiba yelled.  
  
"Because . . . "Jiraiya trailed off with a shrug.  
  
Naruto squirmed a bit more and yelled something that sounded like 'Ramen!' from behind his gag.  
  
Neiji simply shrugged.  
  
Lee scratched his eyebrow.  
  
"Because it's Ino's birthday present" Shino spoke up. "Shikamaru wants to get her something special because he loves her."  
  
At this point Shikamaru just wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Everyone had turned to stare at him. Silence descended upon the group for a moment.  
  
It was, unsurprisingly, Gai who broke the silence. "Ah youth, the springtime of life!" He became starry-eyed and clutched his fist to his chest. "It's so beautiful!" He sniffed and wiped tears away from his eyes.  
  
Lee followed Gai's example. "Hai, Gai-sensei!" The two green-clad ninjas hugged each other, sobbing.  
  
"Lee!"  
  
"Sensei!"  
  
Gaara edged away from the sobbing teacher and student, seriously disturbed. "o-kay..." He turned to Shikamaru. "I'll help you."  
  
Shikamaru gaped at the sand nin. "Really?! Why?" He had NOT expected this.  
  
"Because I like your reason." Said Gaara. "You need to find Itachi, right?" Shikamaru nodded. "This way" He walked off towards the southwest, the rest of the group following him.  
  
"Wow, there he is!" Kiba exclaimed, a little too loudly.  
  
"Shhh!" Shikamaru hissed. Akamaru gave a small bark, as if scolding Kiba.  
  
"Sorry" Kiba whispered, looking sheepish.  
  
Itachi sat at the base of a large boulder, apparently clutching the box of doughnuts to his chest and looking around suspiciously.  
  
"Now, how are we going to get the necklace?" Neiji asked, thankful for some screen time because the authoress forgot about him.  
  
Shikamaru thought for a moment. "Some of you will create a distraction while I use Kagemane to trap him and someone can take it. Neiji, use your Byakugan to find where the necklace is."  
  
Neiji nodded and activated his byakugan. "It's in the left pocket of his cloak." He said. "-Do you want the earrings too?  
  
"Yes." Shikamaru nodded. "Naruto, Kiba, Lee, and Gai, you distract Itachi."  
  
"Why?" Asked Naruto, who had finally been untied.  
  
"Because you're distracting." Jiraiya offered.  
  
"Can I leave now?" Gaara asked in a calmness that made Gai fume and curse Kakashi for no apparent reason.  
  
"Yeah, thanks." Said Shikamaru. "We would've never found him in time without you."  
  
Gaara blinked, shocked that someone actually THANKED him. He immediately reverted to his normal, emotionless expression. "Don't get too used to it" He said and disappeared in a whirl of sand.  
  
"Strange guy." Jiraiya said.  
  
Shikamaru nodded and turned back to the situation at hand. "Jiraiya and Neiji, you two get the necklace and the earrings"  
  
"Alright" the two responded.  
  
"Stop right there!" Kiba shouted, jumping out of his hiding spot to land in front of Itachi.  
  
"He wasn't moving" Naruto whispered.  
  
"It's you again!" Itachi screamed, pointing at Kiba. "Why don't you just leave me alone?! You can't have them!" He clutched the doughnuts closer.  
  
"We don't want your stupid doughnuts!" Kiba hollered. "We want the one necklace to rule them all!"  
  
Itachi stared for a moment. "Huh?"  
  
To make things worse for our poor, confused, doughnut-loving Itachi Gai and Lee jumped dramatically out of the bushes. There weren't any bushes in the area but Gai had brought some from home. Why? To be more dramatic of course.  
  
Itachi jumped up, Sharingan blazing. "How dare you!" He shouted.  
  
Shikamaru decided to use this opportunity to use Kagemane. Thankfully, it worked. Things seemed to be looking up for him now. "Now!" he shouted.  
  
Neiji and Jiraiya surrounded the immobile Itachi. "left pocket?" Jiraiya asked.  
  
"Yeah" Neiji responded. Jiraiya ran towards Itachi as Neiji used his Byakugan to detect any traces of chakra that might tell if Itachi was beginning to break free.  
  
"What the hell are you doing, you old pervert?!" Itachi yelled as Jiraiya dug around in his pocket.  
  
"This it?" Jiraiya held up the necklace and earrings.  
  
"Yeah, let's get out of here before I have to let go and he kills us all." Shikamaru advised.  
  
As if on cue, the ninjas disappeared using their L33T ninja skillz. –Except for Lee, he just ran off.  
  
Next chapter is the last. The partay! Will Ino notice Shikamaru's efforts, or will she still be after Sasuke? R&R! 


	8. Confessions

Wow, my last chapter. I can't believe I actually finished a story. It's a first for me. All of my loyal reviewers, I couldn't have done this without your support.  
  
I actually got a review telling me to hurry up and finish this so I am, I've just been busy and have had writer's block. GOMEN!  
  
CellCloneBot: I understand what you wanted from this fanfiction. But, what you wanted isn't what I wanted. I just wanted to have fun and goof off, I didn't want it to be logical. All the fics I write at home are too serious, so I decided to get off of that. About Gai, I'm not using him just as a person to make fun of, Gai and Lee are some of the best characters and I like to portray them like they actually are. So, basically you were saying that my characters were too in character. Most of your advise didn't phase me but I disliked when you said that my story was "A piece of fluff and you wouldn't recommend it to anyone" I take pride in my writing, even in the stories I'm not serious about. I'm going to keep writing, of course.  
  
Who knows, we may end up friends. (shrug) It's up to you.  
  
Warning: If you don't like sappy stuff, this chapter might not exactly be for you. Big InoShika fluff at the end. It's that warm and fuzzy stuff that makes you want to retch.  
  
(-But I bet a lot of you were just waiting for the fluff)  
  
I LOVE ALL MY REVIEWERS!!  
  
All Shikamaru wanted to do at this point was sleep. He returned to Konoha at the crack of dawn. Good thing Ino's party was in the afternoon, he had a few hours to sleep.  
  
And so he did.  
  
"SHIKAMARU!! GET YOUR LAZY ASS DOWN HERE FAST OR YOU'LL MISS THE PARTY!" Shikamaru's mother shouted from downstairs. Shikamaru opened one eye and glanced at the clock on his nightstand. 3:35! Ten minutes till Ino's party!  
  
Shikamaru panicked and tried desperately to get out of bed quickly. This only resulted in him toppling out of bed in a tangle of sheets.  
  
"Now where's that troublesome present?" He muttered to himself as he stumbled around his room. His eyes widened in horror as he noticed that it wasn't where he left it that morning. "NO!" He shouted.  
  
He immediately began tossing things around in his room in a desperate attempt to find the present. No luck. Oh god. No. NO! This can't happen. Not now! Not after all this trouble!!! His mind screamed.  
  
Maybe he had left it downstairs. Yes, that was it. He left it downstairs. He dashed out of his room and slid down the banister to the living room. Shikato gave his son a worried glance as Shikamaru ran into the kitchen. It just wasn't right for him to be in that much of a hurry.  
  
"MOM!" Shikamaru shouted as he skidded into the kitchen. "Have you seen Ino's present?!"  
  
His mother looked at him from across the room. "I have it, don't worry" She assured. "I figured you would sleep late and forget to wrap it so I did it for you" She blinked and looked at her son for a moment. "-Are you alright?" She asked.  
  
Shikamaru was gazing up at her with tears of joy streaming down his eyes. One would think he's been hanging around Lee and Gai too much. "I LOVE YOU MOM!" He yelled, hugging her. In the living room, Shikato jumped in surprise from the sudden explosion of noise.  
  
"Just go." Shikamaru's mother sighed, handing him the present.  
  
"Thanks mom" Shikamaru said, running out the door. He began to run down the street but soon noticed that he was receiving odd looks from other civilians.  
  
"Lookin' good, Shikamaru" Naruto laughed as he passed. Shikamaru gave him an odd look.  
  
Then it hit him.  
  
HE WAS ONLY WEARING HIS BOXERS!!  
  
"OH MY GOD!!!" Shikamaru screamed, turning around and running as fast as he could back to his house. (A/N: I'm kinda starting to almost feel bad for this guy.... Nah)  
  
Shikamaru dashed back into his house, up the stairs, and into his room. He quickly dressed and ran back out of the house, receiving yet another odd look from his father.  
  
"I... -I made it...." Shikamaru wheezed as he stumbled into Ino's yard. (the party was being held outside)  
  
"Hey Shikamaru" Chouji greeted him.  
  
"Hey Chouji."  
  
"Wanna get something to eat?" Chouji asked, gesturing towards the food table.  
  
"Um, no thanks. I think I lost my appetite."  
  
"Nervous?"  
  
"Yeah" Shikamaru nodded. He sat down, leaning against a tree. "I think I'll stay here for a bit"  
  
The party progressed as any party would. People ate, danced, and played cheesy party games. They even played 'pin the tail on the donkey'. Naruto 'accidentally' pinned it on Sasuke's backside and then was attacked by fangirls.  
  
Surprisingly, Ino wasn't one of them.  
  
All throughout the party Ino hadn't been fawning over Sasuke like she normally did, instead she seemed more aloof. This caused Shikamaru's curiosity to peak. Ino almost seemed to be ignoring Sasuke!!  
  
OH MY GOD!!!  
  
By the end of the party, everyone was full of cake and presents were being opened.  
  
"Open mine!" Naruto shouted as he bounced around happily.  
  
"Okay, okay" Ino said, taking the envelope from Naruto. She opened it. "A coupon.. From Ichiraku. Um, thanks Naruto. Just what I wanted."  
  
"This is from me and Akamaru" Kiba grinned.  
  
Ino opened his present. "Oh, the box set of Lord of the rings! Thanks Kiba-kun!"  
  
Kiba grinned. "Knew you would like it, everyone does!"  
  
The presents were opened (yes, she did get an "I love Rock lee T-shirt) and everyone left.  
  
"I didn't open your present, Shikamaru-kun" Said Ino. "-Can I have it?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess." He handed her the box, avoiding her eyes. Ino grinned and opened the present.  
  
"It's beautiful" She whispered.  
  
"Like you" Shikamaru said before he could stop himself.  
  
"I heard what you went through to get me this."  
  
His eyes widened. "Who told you?!"  
  
"Like, everyone" She laughed. "They all were so excited about it. I think the only one who kept quiet was Shino"  
  
By this time Shikamaru was blushing furiously. "So, you-you know?!" Inside his mind, he was planning to kill everyone who told, except Chouji.  
  
"Yeah" Ino smiled sweetly. "-And I realized something." She added, putting the necklace on.  
  
"What?" Shikamaru questioned.  
  
"I realized that I've been stupid and blind." Ino murmured, looking away. "I've been chasing a dream that will never come true. Sasuke-kun isn't what I thought he is. I've been thinking about this all day..." She put on one of the earrings. "I've been ignoring the one person who really cares about me." She leaned forward and replaced one of Shikamaru's silver earrings with the other one he gave her. "-And I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive me."  
  
"Of course I can" Shikamaru smiled. It was as if all his dreams were coming true. He prayed that this wasn't a dream and if it was, he would never wake up.  
  
"Thank you for being there for me. Through everything. Even putting up with my Sasuke-obsession. You've always been there through thick and thin. I think It's time I was there for you too" She quickly kissed him and smiled. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow" She grinned and walked into her house.  
  
Shikamaru stood there for a few minutes. He raised a had to touch his lips.  
  
Maybe this wasn't so troublesome after all.  
  
YAY! I finished a fic!! I'm so happy! Please please PLEASE review! I worked so hard on this! 


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